Pink Floyd Lyrics, Themes & Meanings: Free Four

Free Four 4:12
(written by Wright, Waters)

Lyrics:
One, two, free, four

The memories of a man in his old age
Are the deeds of a man in his prime
You shuffle the in gloom in the sickroom
And talk to yourself as you die

And life is a short, warm moment
And death is a long cold rest
You get your chance to try
In the twinkling of an eye
Eighty years, with luck, or even less

So all aboard for the American tour
And maybe you'll make it to the top
But mind how you go
And I can tell you, cause I know
You may find it hard to get off

And you are the angel of death
And I am the dead man's son
He was buried like a mole in foxhole
And everyone's still on the run
And who is the master of foxhounds?
And who says the hunt has begun?
And who calls the tune in the courtroom?
And who beats the funeral drum?

The memories of a man in his old age
Are the deeds of a man in his prime
Shuffle in the gloom in the sickroom
And talk to yourself as you die

This song became a popular US single on FM radio, and helped the album break the top fifty. Free Four appears in the film where the expedition has reached the mountains, and despair of purchasing horses from the local bigoted American poachers until Vivian gives all her money to the cause.

The version of this song in the movie is different, replacing the lyrics of the third verse with:
So take my advice and cut yourself a slice
And try not to make it too big
Cause things are hard to grow
And I can tell you, cause I know
It's better not to make yourself sick